


Rainbow Sparkle Sunshine

by lionessvalenti



Category: White Collar
Genre: Animals, Crack, F/M, Gen, Gen Fic, Unicorns
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-05-01
Updated: 2011-05-01
Packaged: 2017-10-18 20:39:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/193074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lionessvalenti/pseuds/lionessvalenti
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Neal is used to Mozzie stashing weird things in his apartment, but a unicorn? That's new.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rainbow Sparkle Sunshine

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lefaym](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lefaym/gifts).



> Beta read by amy1705fl.

Coming home to Mozzie stashing weird things in his apartment was something Neal was used to. It didn't happen with the same frequency it did before now that he received regular visits from the FBI, but it wasn't entirely uncommon for Neal to open his closet and find a space suit among his clothes. Or the one time with the forged first editions of _Treasure Island_.

Neal didn't question it. He'd relied on Mozzie for such things enough times, and Mozzie never asked him why. He was happy to return the favor.

However, when he opened the door and found Mozzie on the sofa drinking his wine and a six-by-six wooden crate taking up the space where his dining table used to be, Neal thought it might be time to start questioning.

"Tell me, Moz, do I actually want to know?" Neal asked as he got his own glass and joined Mozzie on the sofa.

"Do you want to know about what?" Mozzie asked, and Neal motioned to the crate. "Oh, that. I wouldn't worry if I were you. I should have this taken care of in a few days."

"A few days?" Neal repeated. "What am I supposed to do if Peter shows up? He might ask where my table went. And he's definitely going to ask what's in the giant crate. I don't mind keeping your stuff, but you do have a dozen safe houses where something this big is going to be safer."

"Touché, but this one needs extra care. I can't just stash it. It needs to be taken care of."

Neal blinked, first at Mozzie, and then he turned to the crate. "There's something alive in there? Is this going to be a repeat of the snow leopard? Because I remember that not ending well."

Mozzie rolled his eyes. "It was just a scratch. And this is nothing like that."

"Okay, Moz, the suspense is killing me. And I don't know what I want to know more: what's in the crate, or how you managed to get the crate in here in the first place."

"Look, before you get upset, just know that I got her off some really bad guys who were going to sell her to the circus -- the _circus_! You know how I feel about circuses."

Neal's gaze turned to the crate once again. "Please tell me there's not a baby elephant in there."

"I can say with one hundred percent honesty that there is not a baby elephant in there," Mozzie replied in a tone that somehow did not reassure Neal in the least.

Instead of asking anymore questions, Neal got up and went to the crate. "If there's going to be something alive in my apartment, I want to know what it is." He was expecting to need a crowbar, but found that there was a large metal latch that probably should have had a lock on it, but it didn't. He paused when he realized that Mozzie wasn't stopping him, which meant that whatever was inside wasn't dangerous. Of course, he had said the snow leopard wasn't dangerous either.

Neal opened the crate, supporting the heavy wooden door to keep it from crashing against the floor, and peered inside.

Standing in the far corner on a bed of hay was a small, white horse -- a foal. Just a baby. She was just barely three feet tall and as Neal stood there, the filly walked toward him on wobbly legs.

"She's surprisingly trusting," Mozzie said, suddenly appearing at Neal's side. "Considering she's been ripped away from her mother and spent the last week of her life being smuggled into the country."

Neal dropped to his knees as she came closer to him. He was entranced by the adorable little horse. As she stepped out of the crate and into the light, he could see that she was a blindingly pure shade of white, untouched and perfect.

She stepped closer to him and Neal held out his hand to her. She walked right up to him, sniffing him carefully. He touched her nose and smoothed his hand up to brush her forelock from her face, but as he did, his hand bumped against something hard. He pushed the forelock aside and stared.

In the middle of her forehead was a distinctly gold nub.

Neal looked up at Mozzie. "Is this a unicorn?"

The words sounded ridiculous in his mouth, but there was no other question to ask. He was holding a snow white foal with what looked like the beginnings of a horn in her forehead. What else was he supposed to ask?

"Yes," Mozzie replied. "She's from Finland -- there's a small population of unicorns there. There's another breed of them in Romania, but they're not as classically white, so they aren't as valuable."

"But unicorns aren't real," Neal said, as he ran his hand through the foal's silky soft mane.

"You can laugh at all of my conspiracy theories about the government and mind control, but don't tell me that unicorns aren't real when you've got one standing right in front of you."

Neal couldn't stop touching her. He'd never felt hair so soft, and she seemed to enjoy the attention, nuzzling up into his hand. "Why do you have a unicorn?"

"I told you, these guys were going to sell her to the circus." Mozzie hesitated. "I got her out of there, that's all."

"Wait." Neal looked up again. "Are you telling me there some kind of unicorn smuggling ring out of Finland that's selling them to circuses in the US?"

"And look who just came to the meeting. Yes, Neal, that's exactly what I'm telling you. I heard she was coming in, and I had to stop it. I can't save them all, but I could save this one."

The unicorn began nibbling at the collar of Neal's shirt, but somehow, he didn't mind. "I think she's hungry. What does she eat? Horse stuff?"

"Warm milk and magic beans," Mozzie replied.

" _Magic beans_?" Neal repeated. "Are you serious? Of course you're serious, there's a unicorn in my apartment, so obviously she eats magic beans. If you plant them, do they grow sky-high beanstalks?"

"Probably, but they're kind of pricey, so I'm not wasting them on the ground. Besides, where would I plant a giant beanstalk in New York that wouldn't be conspicuous? What would be the point?"

Neal decided not to engage in any further conversation about the logic behind planting magic beans. "What are you going to do with her?"

"There's a fantasy farm in North Dakota," Mozzie said. "Unicorns, griffins, small breeds of dragons -- you know, the usual. They take in smuggled animals. They'll know what to do with her."

"The usual," Neal said under his breath, like anything about this was _usual_. Even so, he stroked the unicorn's soft coat and she whinnied softly in his ear. "Does she have a name?"

Mozzie shook his head. "It seemed unwise. You don't want to get attached, Neal. She's not staying forever."

"You're right," Neal replied distantly as the filly nuzzled his cheek.

\--- --- ---

Mozzie had definitely been right. Naming the unicorn was a bad idea. However, as Neal sat on the floor, feeding her warm milk from a bottle, he couldn't help but fall in love. Naming her wasn't going to make it any worse. He just had to think of something fitting.

"You are so cute," Neal murmured, wiping milk off her muzzle. "I'm not going to want to give you up."

He tried to think of what in the world he would do with a full grown unicorn. It was easy to keep her in his apartment now, but she would eventually grow up. The fantasy farm sounded like a much better place for her. She would be happy there. As much as it pained him to think about it.

There was a knock at the door and Neal looked up. He was about to panic -- what if it was Peter? What would he say? But then, as Neal looked at the clock and realized it was after nine, and Sara was going to come over when she was done with work.

"Come on in," he called, letting his shoulders relax.

The door opened and Sara walked in, her impossibly high heels clicking against the hardwood floor. She took one look at Neal on the floor and the adorable foal in his lap, her little nub of a horn exposed.

"Where did you get a unicorn?" she asked, crouching down next to him.

"You're not going to have a moment of disbelief?" Neal asked.

Sara shook her head as she stroked the unicorn's mane. "Do you know how much these things are worth? We have some clients who own them. They needs to be insured just like anything else. Where did you get it?"

"I didn't. Mozzie did. He got her from smugglers that were going to sell her to a circus. Mozzie has issues with circuses."

"Oh, what doesn't Mozzie have issues with?" Sara ran her fingers over the filly's soft ears. "I was thinking of staying the night. You mind if I borrow some clothes?"

"Go right ahead." Neal smiled fondly as she stood up and waked to the hall door. He liked having her there. They weren't thinking hard about what any of this meant, and he wasn't in a hurry to fall in love, but it was nice to have company.

And, Neal noted as Sara walked back into the main room, she looked better in his blue paisley silk pajamas than he did.

She sat down on the floor next to Neal. "What's her name?"

"She doesn't have one," he replied. "Mozzie said it was a bad idea, that I'd get attached. But I think it's too late for that. I keep calling her cute nicknames. Princess, Champ, Pretty Girl, Ace."

"Ace," Sara repeated with a smile.

"You like that one?" Neal asked.

"Look at her, she's a total Ace. I think she's going to be a troublemaker." Sara reached up and touched Neal's hair. "Just like her daddy."

He grinned. "I don't think I've been that much of an influence in the three hours she's been under my watch."

"I don't know about that," Sara replied as Ace stumbled out of Neal's arms and began wandering around the apartment. "She's really cute. Are you going to tell Peter about this?"

"Not if I can help it," Neal said. "I don't know what Mozzie did to get her, but I'm going to assume that everything about this is illegal. I know that she got smuggled into the country, though I don't care if those guys get busted."

Sara frowned. "Shouldn't those guys get busted, though? I mean, how old is Ace? She can't be old enough to be away from her mother."

"I don't know, maybe a few weeks? Do unicorns age the same way horses do? I don't know a lot of about horses. That's actually Peter's thing."

"I remember," she said. "And that's even more reason to tell him. He could help."

Neal made a face, but it melted away into a smile as he watched Ace sniff around the fireplace. "I don't think the horses Peter's dealt with ate magic beans."

Sara pushed a hand through her hair and stopped about halfway through. "Magic beans? Really?"

He shrugged. "I didn't question if the beans were actually magic or not. But she seemed to like them."

Ace wandered across the room and came back to them and pressed her nose against Sara's face. She laughed and stroked Ace behind the ears. "Do you really think that Peter would be able to look at her and not fall in love? There's nothing to hide here, Neal. And whoever those smugglers are, if they're in the States, he should know. He could do something. Even if they aren't in the States, he can notify Interpol."

"I just don't want her to be evidence. She's had a hard enough time of it already."

"It would stop it from happening to other unicorns."

"Is unicorn smuggling a thing?" Neal asked. "Not that I'm surprised, now that I know they exist."

"Unicorns, dragons, anything you haven't heard of. It's a nasty business." Sara cupped Ace's face. "Especially when they're so cute. I just want to take you home with me."

"Moz is going to send her to a fantasy farm," Neal said.

"That'd be a good place for her. They would know how to care for her more than either one of us. And the city isn't exactly practical for unicorns." Sara snuggled Ace close to her. "No matter how adorable."

Neal laughed. "Tell me again how you feel about Ace? You think she's cute? Adorable? Lovely?"

Sara socked him gently against the arm. "What can I say? I'm a girl. Girls love unicorns."

"You're a girl, huh?" He leaned in and pressed a kiss to her neck. "I hadn't noticed. I may have to explore this further."

"You think so?" she asked, and leaned in to kiss him. He brought a hand to her cheek, and they only parted when a wet muzzle pressed up against their faces. They both started laughing as they parted.

Neal turned to Ace and tapped her muzzle. "I think it's past your bedtime, baby."

She whinnied in protest -- that's what it sounded like, could she understand him? -- but didn't stop as Neal led her into the crate for the night. He looked around. There was plenty of hay for her to lie on, and a fuzzy blanket (he probably had Mozzie to thank for that), along with a bowl of water. She would be fine. Even so, as those big, brown eyes looked up at him, it was hard for Neal close up the crate.

"If anything's wrong, you'll hear it," Sara said, pulling Neal toward the bed. "She'll let you know."

\--- --- ---

The next morning, Neal crept out of bed, as to not wake Sara, and before he even went to brush his teeth, he opened up the crate. Ace looked up at him sleepily, but got to her feet and greeted him with a bumped of her nose against his bare chest.

He scratched her behind the ears. "You hungry?"

She snorted an agreement and Neal grinned.

"Let me fix you up a bottle then."

Ace followed Neal around the apartment, on his heels the entire time he walked the short space between the refrigerator and the stove. He almost tripped over her twice, and was reminded of the cat he had growing up.

"Looks like someone's ready for breakfast."

Neal turned around and smiled at Sara. "Morning. Did I wake you?"

"Yeah, but it's okay." She pushed back the blankets and slipped out of the bed. She was only wearing the silky pajama top she'd gone to bed in, the bottoms abandoned on the floor. She grinned as Ace trotted over to her. "Morning, baby," she said, running her hands through Ace's mane.

"You never sound that excited when I greet you," Neal said as he pulled the bottle from the stove.

"You're not this cute." Sara eyed the bottle. "Can I feed her?"

Neal felt a little pang of jealousy at the thought of someone else feeding Ace, but he remembered that he was going to have to give her up eventually. He would have to get used to it. "Yeah, of course you can," he said, with a smile, holding the bottle out to her.

Sara grinned and settled on the floor, pulling Ace into her lap. "Such a good girl," she muttered as Ace took to the bottle immediately.

"Do you know much about unicorns?" Neal asked, leaning against the kitchen counter.

"Not a whole not. I know more about them in terms of money and insurance than knowledge about the unicorns themselves. Why do you ask?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. I feel like Ace can understand us. Like, she knows what's going on. I don't know if that's normal, or if I'm just crazy."

Sara chuckled. "Some might suggest that keeping a unicorn in your apartment is crazy." She paused, smiling down at Ace. "Have you given any thought to telling Peter?"

"Yeah, I have." The truth was, Neal was up thinking about it long after Sara had fallen asleep. He wanted to protect Ace, and he had no idea what kind of protocols surrounded illegally housed unicorns. But then again, he wanted these smugglers stopped. Sara was right, telling Peter was going to be a lot more productive than trying to save every smuggled unicorn.

Neal sighed. "I'm going to call him and invite him over. I don't know if he'll believe me if I just tell him I have a unicorn. Besides, who isn't going to fall in love with her when they see her?"

"Only someone with no soul," Sara replied. She looked up at him. "And Peter has a soul."

"Believe me, I know. If he didn't, I would have been back in prison by now." Neal sighed again. "Mozzie won't like that I involved the feds in this."

"Mozzie involved you. And I think Mozzie will agree that taking down the smugglers is important. He can't save them all, but stopping the import of unicorns from even one source? It will save more than just Ace here. And even better, it will keep them with their mothers." Sara gazed at Ace, who was happily suckling from the bottle. "If Ace is as smart as you think she is, her mother is probably even smarter. She must be wondering where her baby is. She must be so scared."

Sara's tone when from serious and business-like to softer, more personal. Neal sat down on the floor next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. He knew the subject of missing children was close to her. She'd probably seen that fear in her own parents and felt it herself.

"It's okay," Neal said, even though it was clearly not okay. "When Ace's mother is holding onto hope that Ace is safe, she'll be right. She'll be taken care of."

"You're right," Sara said, turning her face to Neal. A few stray tears escaped, and Neal smiled, wiping them away with his thumb.

"I'll make that call," he said. "We'll stop this."

\--- --- ---

Neal knew that Peter didn't like surprises, and he hated "Come over, I have something to show you" phone calls even more, especially when they gave him no other information. Possibly, Peter hated those calls the most when they ended with, "You should bring Elizabeth, too."

Knowing this, Neal had that exact conversation with Peter, and as he expected, was not received warmly. On the bright side, it sounded more like annoyance that Neal was calling him at nine in the morning on a Sunday than actual hostility.

Neal and Sara took turns in the shower, and she wore the perfectly fitting slacks she'd come in wearing the night before with one of Neal's shirts hanging loosely on her thin frame, the top few buttons undone. She hadn't put her shoes back on, and the whole ensemble was casual, yet glamorous.

Watching her sit on the floor with Ace, Neal decided that _all_ of his clothes looked better on Sara than they did on him.

"You don't have to stay, you know," Neal said, and Sara looked up at him like he might be crazy.

"I want to. What else am I going to do on a Sunday than hang out with you and play with a unicorn? Other than work, and you know that's all I do. You and Ace are much better company."

He grinned and sat down next to her. "I wish we could take Ace to a park. Someplace where she could run around. I think she's going to get bored in here."

"She'd attract too much attention."

"Yeah, I know. Even if no one noticed the horn, a horse running around the park wouldn't be subtle. It'd be like a giant beanstalk."

Sara laughed. "Exactly." She paused and said, "Actually, Neal, I know of a place where we could take her that's private. We'd just have to be able to get a car."

"Peter has a car," Neal said. "We'll see what he thinks."

As if on cue, there was a knock at the door. Neal called for them to come in, and when Peter took one step into the apartment, he stared at Ace.

"Please tell me that's not what I think it is."

"Depends on what you think it is," Neal replied cheerfully. "She's a baby unicorn. Her name's Ace."

Elizabeth stepped in from behind Peter and she put a hand to her mouth. "You're serious," she said, her voice slightly muffled. "It's a unicorn!" She crouched down next to Ace and stroked her mane. "This is amazing."

With a smile on his face, Neal got to his feet and walked over to where Peter was still lingering in the doorway.

Peter, however, didn't look as amused. "Don't tell me that you somehow smuggled a unicorn into the country."

"No, I did not."

"Mozzie?"

"Mozzie saved her. She was going to be sold to the circus. And if I smuggled anything into the country, would I be telling you? I didn't even know unicorns existed until last night. How did you know about them?"

Peter glanced over at where Elizabeth was still fawning over Ace, and then looked back to Neal. "There are very specific laws about unicorns, especially about taking them out of their home country. Smuggling unicorns is a dangerous business."

"That's what Sara said." Neal took a deep breath. "I want to take down these guys. Look at her. She can't be more than a few weeks old. And she's sweet, but she shouldn't be here. She should be in Finland with her mother."

"We can both agree on that. If you want to open an investigation, I'll need a statement from Mozzie and, Neal, the unicorn would be evidence."

"Assuming you'd be able to get a statement from Moz, I know he didn't obtain Ace legally. I don't even know how he did it, but odds are, there are some unhappy smugglers."

Peter's mouth formed a straight line. "That would make it easier to draw them out. You're looking at about twenty million worth of unicorn there."

Neal's eyes widened. "But she's just a baby!"

"They're worth more at that age. More trusting and easier to train." Peter looked around, eyes on Elizabeth and Sara, then he turned to the crate. "How did you get that in here?"

"No idea," Neal replied. "What happens if Ace becomes evidence?"

"She'll be put in federal custody." Peter seemed to sense Neal's actual fears, adding, "She'd be taken care of. Just not by you."

"Is there any way we can do this ourselves? Even if we just look into it. It could be out of your jurisdiction, for all we know."

"That's not what I do, Neal. If we're going to do this, we have to do it right."

Neal leaned against the kitchen counter and looked across the room at where Ace was prancing around Elizabeth and Sara. It looked like she was showing off, tossing her mane, causing Elizabeth to coo. He nudged Peter with his elbow. "Look at that."

Peter smiled. "You know, asking me to bring El was just mean. Get her attached to the unicorn and she'll convince me that I have to help."

"A very wise woman told me that girls love unicorns," Neal replied. "I think it's a fact. Besides, would you deny your wife the opportunity to play with a unicorn? An adorable baby unicorn at that?"

"No, you're right. I wouldn't want to do that."

Neal grinned. "You want to pet her? You'll fall in love. She has a way about her."

"I shouldn't," Peter said, but he was already walking toward Ace. When he squatted in front of her, she walked up to him slowly and sniffed his outstretched hand before trotting right up to him, bopping her nose against chest. She shook her head with a loud whinny.

And there it was. Neal saw the shift in Peter's eyes as he grinned at Ace and ran his fingers through her forelock, inspecting her horn. He looked up at Neal, his eyes shining. "I'll see what I can do."

"Off the books?" Neal asked.

Peter inhaled deeply and held it for a moment before letting it out slowly. "I'll see what I can do."

\--- --- ---

"Did you just decide to do everything I told you not to do?" Mozzie asked. "I told you not to name her--"

"It was too late," Neal said. "I was already attached."

"--and then you go to the Suit?"

"Technically, you never told me to not tell Peter."

Mozzie stared at him incredulously and holding his hands up said, "It was implied."

"Look," Peter said, clearly not going to put up with Mozzie over this, "you can either tell me about the guys you got Ace from and stop this or let it go and know that you didn't even try to stop from happening again."

Neal raised his eyebrows and looked at Mozzie.

After a moment, Mozzie sighed. "There's a private airport in Hoboken that doesn't ask questions. They aren't going to like the Feds snooping around."

"I know the one you're talking about. We wouldn't be the first Feds to look into them," Peter replied. "I can ask around, but I'll need more for a warrant."

"You want me to go in?" Neal asked.

Peter shook his head. "No, you take care of that one," he said, pointing to Ace. "It'll be hard enough to pry Elizabeth away. I don't know that I could get you away too."

Neal glanced over and Elizabeth was laughing at something Ace had done. He looked beyond her where Sara was on her phone. She caught him looking and smiled.

"Ace has that effect," he replied. "I didn't really want to go in anyway. It's Sunday."

Peter snorted. "Fine. I'll work, and call my people into work, and you play with a unicorn."

"To be fair, your people get paid."

Peter didn't reply as Sara, snapping her phone closed, came over to them. "Good news. Remember, the park we wanted to take Ace to? I found a place. It's private, so she can run around in the fresh air, and no one will be the wiser." She glanced at Peter. "If you don't mind driving us across town."

"Not at all," Peter said. He looked over at Mozzie. "You want a ride?"

"No," Mozzie replied. "I was never here. You didn't hear anything from me."

Sara hid a smile behind her hand and chuckled. "Well, we've got all afternoon, but I don't think Peter does if he's going to catch some guys."

"He catches some not-so-bad guys too, you know," Neal added.

"What's going on over there?"

Neal turned to Elizabeth and grinned. She was on her knees, with an arm draped over Ace's back, and both of them were looking up at the others, wide-eyed and waiting for a good response.

"Sara's flirting with your husband," Neal said.

"Hmmm." Elizabeth stood up and walked toward them. "I like it better when you flirt with him."

"I'm going to go with Elizabeth on that," Sara said, smiling brilliantly at Neal.

Peter held up his hands. "Nobody's flirting. We're all leaving."

Elizabeth smiled and kissed him. "If you insist."

\--- --- ---

"What is this place?" Neal asked, looking around the large courtyard. It was centered around a large, ornate fountain in the shape of a fish with wings, and there were exotic looking bushes and flowers everywhere.

"It's owned by one of our clients," Sara replied. "He has an interest in the fantastic. He owns a fantasy farm in Canada. This is his city place. I called him up and asked him if we could use it. When I told him about Ace, he was more than happy to let _her_ use it. She needs to run around."

"I think you're right," Neal said with a laugh as Ace tore around the circular courtyard another time, her coat sparkling in the sunlight. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a tennis ball. "I wonder if she'd play with this."

Sara grinned. "Only one way to find out."

Neal tossed the ball in Ace's direction, and she stopped dead in her tracks. She sniffed at it, and then nudged it with her hoof. It rolled a few inches forward, so the second time, she kicked it hard. The tennis ball went flying and hit a wall, bouncing back toward her. She chased after it and Neal started laughing again.

"I think you found a winning toy," Sara said. she tapped Neal's arm with her elbow. "So you play tennis now?"

"No, but I found it in the house. If June wants it back, I'll get her a new one," Neal replied.

"Where is June, anyway? You'd think she'd have something to say about you keeping, well, livestock her in apartment. A cat, maybe, but a unicorn? There'd at least be an opinion."

"June would love Ace. But she and Bugsy went to Chicago for the weekend. Her oldest son lives there. It's his birthday. She'll be back on Wednesday."

"It must be nice to have a five day weekend, but she's going to miss all of this. Ace leaves tomorrow, right?" Sara asked. She reached down and took Neal's hand.

"Yeah. Mozzie got things moving a lot faster than he'd expected. Apparently unicorns aren't supposed to live in apartments. The lady from the farm wants Ace there as soon as possible." Neal sighed, but he couldn't stop his smile when he watched Ace chase her new toy around the courtyard.

"I still wish we could take Ace to the park," Sara said, smiling too. "Could you imagine her around little kids? They'd love her, and I bet she'd love them too."

Ace kicked the tennis ball, and then stopped suddenly to sniff a plant. She went back to the ball and kicked it so it rolled to Neal's feet.

He let go of Sara's hand and snatched up the ball. "You want me to throw this?"

"She's like a puppy," Sara said. "Do you really think she wants to play fetch?"

"A puppy with a horn," Neal said. He tossed the ball more than halfway across the yard, past the giant fountain, and Ace went after it. "Answers the question about fetch."

"Who would have known?" She elbowed Neal again. "Good instincts."

He grinned. "I've made my living on good instincts."

"I thought that was good looks."

"That only gets you about halfway -- I thought you'd know that, from experience." Neal wrapped his arm around her. Between the comfortable flirting with Sara, and the sweet unicorn foal loving the present he got her, Neal felt more content than he had in a long time.

Ace came up to him one more time, this time her tennis ball lay a few feet away.

"What?" Neal asked. "You want me to fetch now?"

"Oh, no, I think she's jealous that you've got your arm around me," Sara said.

Ace bopped his leg with her nose, and laughing, Neal squatted in front of her. She prodded him again, this time knocking him onto his backside. She pressed her wet muzzle against Neal's neck and then his cheek.

Sara laughed loudly, unlike anything Neal had heard from her before. Like Ace had somehow broken past some kind of barrier he'd never been able to. He liked it.

"She _is_ like a puppy!" she said through her laughter.

Neal meant to respond, but he couldn't stop laughing between the unicorn kisses he was getting all over his face.

\--- --- ---

That evening, Neal opened the door and smiled, motioning for Peter to come in. "You've got news. You wouldn't be here this late without it."

"Yeah, I've got good news -- hey, girl." Peter grinned as Ace ran up to him, head-butting him with her horn. He reached into his pocket and retrieved a handful of sugar cubes before he squatted in front of her, holding his hand out flat. She whinnied and gobbled up the sugar.

"Oh, great, now she's never going to go to sleep," Neal said with a smile. He laughed, watching Ace scampering away from Peter. "Do you see that sugar buzz? Is that even good for her?"

Peter shrugged as he stood up, wiping his hand on his jeans. "It's okay for horses."

"She's not a horse. If she's still awake at two in the morning, I'm calling you."

"Fair enough." Peter grinned and looked around. "I thought Sara'd be here."

"She was earlier," Neal replied, closing the door. "She has to be in court first thing in the morning. Testify against some guy who probably didn't do it."

Peter laughed. "Yeah, I'm sure he didn't."

Neal sighed. "She said goodbye to Ace. I wasn't looking forward to it, and after seeing that, I'm really not looking forward to it."

"It'll be okay," Peter said, clapping a hand on Neal's shoulder. He looked over at Ace, who was kicking a tennis ball around. "I guess if you're used to having a unicorn in your apartment."

"I'm getting there," Neal said. "Watch this." He went over and grabbed the ball out from in front of Ace and tossed it across the room. Ace went scampering after it, tripping over her long legs and nearly slammed into the wall next to the fireplace.

Peter laughed. "Is that normal behavior?"

Neal shook his head, grinning. "I have no idea." He turned to Peter, feeling a bit more somber. "So do you have news?"

"Yeah, about an hour ago, Diana has two guys in custody -- not official arrests, but she's making them talk. I think we're going to have enough information to start a proper investigation. Turns out they're not just into unicorns in Finland, but dragons in Bulgaria, and hippogriffs out of Russia. And that's just what those two guys know. I think we start moving up the totem pole, we're going find out a lot more. And have a lot more to give Interpol to catch the guys on the other side."

"That's great news," Neal replied. He started walking toward the kitchen. "You want a drink to celebrate?"

"No, thanks, I can't stay," Peter said, holding up a hand. "But I can't be here tomorrow when Ace leaves. I have to get to work on this."

"So you want to say goodbye now."

"I do. El will be by tomorrow morning, though."

Hearing them, Ace walked over with her head hanging low, pathetically kicking her tennis ball in front of her until she stopped in front of Peter. She looked up at him with her huge brown eyes in a mournful stare.

"She can understand us, can't she?" Peter asked, dropping onto one knee to stroke her coat.

"She can," Neal replied. "I don't know who taught her English in Finland, or if she's just really good at understanding emotions, but yeah, she knows what's going on."

Peter sighed and ran his hand through Ace's silky mane. "You be a good girl, okay, Ace? Don't forget to call."

She snorted in his ear, as if to say, _Very funny, you know I can't talk_.

He laughed and pulled back to kiss her on the nose. "I know you're going to like it where you're going." He petted her one last time and stood up, trying to casually wipe at his eyes with the back of his hand.

"Why, Peter, are you crying?" Neal asked.

"Like you're going to make it through tomorrow with a dry eye," Peter said with a laugh.

"You're completely right." Neal reached down to scratch Ace behind the ears. "I don't know how's she's only been here a few days and she's completely taken over everything. I don't know if it's magic, or what, but everyone she's met as fallen in love with her. and why wouldn't they? I'm dreading tomorrow morning, Peter. I don't want to say goodbye."

"It doesn't have to be goodbye," Peter replied. "Fantasy farms allow visitors."

Neal stared up at him for a moment. "Yeah, because I go to North Dakota all the time. Or ever. And I won't be going anywhere at all for another two and a half years."

"Then it's something to look forward to."

"She's going to be all grown up by then. What if she forgets about me?" Neal couldn't help but choke up. He didn't have the words to explain the bond he'd formed with this little unicorn.

Ace nudged his leg with her nose, then nuzzled his knee.

"She's smart, Neal. I don't think she's going to forget you," Peter said.

Neal squatted and sniffed quietly as he wrapped an arm around Ace's neck, pulling her close. "I hope you're right, Peter. I really do."

\--- --- ---

Neal had tried to think of every excuse in the book to get Ace to stay. A farm wasn't a good place for her. She would love it in New York. June would totally be willing to put Ace up, once she met her. Who didn't fall for her?

But the reality was, Ace belonged on that farm (no, she belonged in Finland with her mother, but the farm would do). And what was he going to do? Build a stable in the basement? Take Ace for walks? Could he fit unicorn poo in a little plastic baggy? Probably not.

So when Sharon Loe, the woman from the farm showed up, Neal was almost ready.

As Elizabeth and Mozzie said tearful goodbyes to Ace, Neal stood back. He looked at Sharon and asked, "Is this normal? For everyone a baby unicorn meets to fall instantly in love with her?"

"Yeah, it is. Believe me, no one has an easy time giving up unicorn foals. It's part magic, and part because unicorns are so smart, that they easily connect with humans and vice versa. Unicorns really are social creatures. They love humans, but over the years, humans haven't shown they're worth the love. Stuff like this happens, foals being taken from their mothers... but there's still an instinctive part of them that knows who's worthy of that trust. Looks like Ace has found it here."

Neal smiled. "You're going to keep her name?"

"I don't know that she'd answer to anything else now. I told you, unicorns are smart. She'll remember that you took care of her and that you named her."

"So if I came to visit in two years, she'd... know who I was?"

Sharon shrugged. "I don't see why not."

Neal felt somehow relieved by that, but those comfortable feelings were wiped away when Mozzie said, "Neal? It's your turn."

He looked over at Moz, who appeared to be holding it in, and Elizabeth, who wasn't, wiping away her tears with a tissue, and he almost broke down before he took one look at Ace. He dropped onto his knees and she walked right up to him, resting her head on his shoulder, like a hug.

"Oh, baby girl," Neal mumbled, wrapping his arms around her. "It's going to be a quiet place here without you. I don't know what I'm going to do."

She nuzzled his neck and Neal held back a shuddered sob. "I'm going to come visit you. It's going to be a long time from now, but I'll be there. The second I can, you're going to be the first place I go, you hear that?"

Ace stepped back and bobbed her head up and down in a nod. Neal was fully convinced that she completely understood him.

Neal wiped away a tear that was rolling down her cheek. "Okay, Ace, it's time to go."

She blinked at him, and she whinnied loudly -- the protest whinny from when she didn't want to go to bed. Her feet set on the floor and her sad eyes turned determined. Determined to stay.

"Ace, please, don't make this harder than it is," Neal said, stroking her neck. "I don't want you to go, I want to keep you here, but I can't. So, please, be a good girl. For me?"

Ace dropped her head and Neal felt his eyes well up with tears again. She wanted to stay with him. She wanted to be there, but he knew there was a part of her that understood she had to go.

He took her head in his hands and kissed her forehead. "That's my good girl." He stood up and let her to the crate, helping her in.

"Wait," Mozzie said, coming over with the tennis ball in hand. "Don't forget this."

"Is that her toy?" Sharon asked.

"Yeah, she loves it," Neal said, taking the ball from Mozzie. "Throw it against a wall, and she'll go after it."

She smiled. "Good to know."

Neal placed the ball inside the crate next to Ace. "There you go. And I promise, I'll be there as soon as I can to visit you, okay?"

Ace whinnied softly. _Goodbye._

His heart heavy, Neal stood up and closed the crate. Ace pressed her nose up between the wooden slats and Neal reached down to give her one last pet.

"I love you," he mumbled to her before stepping away.

As the three movers who had come with Sharon started to get the crate out of the room, Elizabeth came up to Neal and hugged him. He wrapped his arms around her, and as much as he knew that what they were doing was for the best, it didn't stop him from crying.

\--- --- ---

 _Two and a half years later..._

Neal felt overdressed in his suit and tie as he got out of his rental car. The farm was clearly a casual place with its dirt driveway and simple one-story house out front with a large blue barn a few yards behind it. A couple of grey tabby cats lounged in a patch of grass, soaking up the sunlight. As Neal walked past them, he noticed one stretching its bat-like wings.

He thought about his last words to Peter before he left for his trip. His first trip since he'd had his anklet removed a week before.

"Don't worry," Neal had said. "I'm coming back."

Peter had looked less than reassured. Neal kept in contact, texting Peter photographs of mundane things in the three airports he'd been in that day. For a change of pace, and something more interesting, Neal snapped a picture of the winged cats and sent it to Peter.

"It's been a long time, Mr. Caffrey."

Neal looked up to see Sharon Loe walking to him, a grin on her face. He matched her smile. "I couldn't get away until now."

"Well, a fantasy farm is a great vacation." Sharon pulled off her brown leather work gloves and shook his hand. "But I know what you're here for. Come on." She motioned with her head for him to follow her, and he did.

She took him behind the barn where there were several acres of open pasture with a low fence. It looked more like it was marking the pastures as opposed to keeping anything in.

And Neal saw them: six unicorns grazing together. Four of them were pure white, and one was black. The final one appeared to be a dull grey until the light shifted and Neal could easily see the silver shining in the unicorn's coat and in the strands of her mane.

However, his eyes settled on the white unicorns. How was he supposed to know which one was Ace?

"Go on," Sharon said. "None of them are going to bite you."

Neal stepped away from her, and he slowly drew the attention of the unicorns. One of the white ones stamped its foot and Neal stopped in his tracks. He didn't want to spook them.

After a moment, one of unicorns broke away from the herd and slowly walked up to him. He could see her inspecting his face, and he inspected her back. Her horn was nearly fully grown and her body had filled out but he couldn't be sure it was her. Then she whinnied happily and bopped him in the chest with her nose.

"You remembered me!" Neal said with a wide grin and he stroked her neck, her coat still as soft as it had been when she was a foal.

Ace tossed her mane and nudged him playfully.

Neal knew he was only staying for a couple of days, but now that he wasn't tethered to New York City, Ace was just a plane ride away. He ran his fingers through her mane, the hair stiffer now than he remembered it, and wondered if Peter and Elizabeth might like a trip to North Dakota.

As the other unicorns came up to him, sniffing his jacket, somehow settled by Ace's approval of him, Neal thought Sharon might be right. It was a great place for a vacation.


End file.
